Ku Cheng-kang

Ku Cheng-kang or Gu Zhenggang ( zh, t=谷正綱, p=Gǔ Zhènggāng; 30 April 1902 – 11 December 1993) was a Chinese politician, scholar and ranking member of the Kuomintang in service to the Republic of China. He was the co-founder of both Chinese Association for Relief and Ensuing Services and World League for Freedom and Democracy and widely regarded as the "Father of Disaster Relief in the Republic of China" and the "Iron Man of Anti-Communism".

Early life

Ku Cheng-kang was born in Anshun, Guizhou Province during the late Qing Empire. He had an older brother, Ku Cheng-lun (1889–1953), a general known as the "Father of the Republic of China's Military Police," and a younger brother, Ku Cheng-ting (1903–1974), who, along with his wife Pi Yi-shu (1905–1974), served as a member of the first Legislative Yuan.

Ku attended school in Germany where many of the Kuomintang's elite were also educated. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Humboldt University of Berlin. In 1924, whilst still a student, Ku and his younger brother joined the Kuomintang.

In 1925, the two brothers traveled to the Soviet Union to continue their studies at Moscow Sun Yat-sen University, a comintern school.

The brothers returned to China in 1926. In 1928, they fell in with Chen Gongbo and Ku Meng-yu to form the Reorganization Group, a faction led by Wang Jingwei.

In 1931, Ku caught the eye of Chiang Kai-shek who ordered him to Beijing and Tianjin to participate in party organization activity. Later in the year with the Mukden Incident, Chiang began consolidating the party factions and in December, Ku was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang.

In December 1934, Ku was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and in 1935, he secured a promotion to serve as Vice Minister of the Kuomintang Central Executive Committee.

In 1937, with the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was appointed Deputy Minister of the 5th National Government Military Commission. In June 1938, he served as interim secretary for the Society of the Three People's Principles Youth League and was also made the group's Central Executive Officer. In addition, he served as KMT Chairman and party boss for Zhejiang Province.

Minister of Social Affairs

In November 1939, Ku was appointed as the Minister of Social Affairs and was placed in charge of all wartime social welfare projects. In 1940, the ministry was reorganized into the National Social Department where Ku continued to serve as Minister of National Government Social Affairs, a position he held until March 1949.

In 1941, Ku was in charge of casualty processing during the Japanese bombing of Chongqing and in 1944, he was in charge of Chinese military and civilian casualties on the Guangxi, Guizhou warfronts.

In 1945, Ku was elected to the Chinese Kuomintang Central Executive Committee and the 6th Standing Committee. He also served as Chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Central Committee of agricultural workers.

In 1947, he began involvement with Chen Lifu, Fang Chih and the CC Clique and became active in the Shanghai political scene.

Ku retreated with the nationalists to Taiwan in 1949.

Anti-communist activities in Taiwan

In January 1950, Ku was appointed Minister of the Interior. He served as Director of the Mainland Disaster Relief Organization together with Fang Chih. Together with Fang, Ku set up the Free China Relief Agency, and the Sino-Laotian Friendship Society and the ROC branch of the Asian People's Anti Communist League. The pair were active in South Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Camboadia and Thailand on various KMT special projects.

In 1951, he was appointed as a presidential adviser and in 1952, he was elected to the 7th Standing Committee.

As the leader of the WACL, Ku invited right-wing military figures from various countries to establish WACL chapters and actively organized mass anti-communist movements. While presiding over the January 23rd Freedom Day rallies, he led crowds in chanting slogans such as "Down with Communism" and "Oppose Enslavement." It is believed that Ku demanded loyalty from every WACL member, specifically towards himself personally.

In 1958, following the death of Hung Lan-yu, the first Secretary-General of National Assembly, Ku was personally appointed by Chiang Kai-shek as his successor the following year, later officially elected in 1960. In 1966, he received the highest number of votes—100 in total—in the election to select the 85-member Presidium of the Assembly, making him the top-ranking chair. Ku's growing power sparked controversy, with critics arguing that he had accumulated excessive influence within the National Assembly. According to New News Weekly, Chiang Kai-shek himself remarked: " (Ku) wants to run for president now."

In 1987, during the Iran-Contra Affair, Ku's covert military aid to the Contras was exposed and later confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ku died on 11 December 1993 in Taipei at the age of 91.

Personality

A widely circulated account, documented in Ku Cheng-kang's state-published biography, describes how he twice gained trust and power through tears.

The first occurred in 1939 after Wang Jingwei's defection. As a member of Wang's Reorganization Group, Ku wept before Chiang Kai-shek, declaring his loyalty to the party-state and proclaimed: "I once served Wang out of loyalty to the party and the nation; now, I will serve you with the same loyalty." and
the second time took place during the Chinese Civil War when Li Zongren pressured Chiang to step down. Ku again used tears to affirm his unwavering support. This story is frequently cited in modern books.

Marriage and descendants

Ku married to Wang Mai-hsiu (zh: 王美修, c.1907-1998), who served as his English translator, and had two daughters and five sons:
* Ku To-yi (zh: 谷多儀, born 1936)
* Ku To-lin (zh: 谷多齡, born 1940)
* Ku Chia-tai (zh: 谷家泰, born 1942)
* Ku Chia-hua (zh: 谷家華, born 1944)
* Ku Chia-sung (zh: 谷家嵩, born 1946)
* (zh: 谷秀衡, 1948–2005) - he went on to become director of Taiwan Cyanamid Company
* Ku Chia-heng (zh: 谷家恒, born 1948)

Literary works

* ''The following is an incomplete list of the literary works of Ku Cheng-kang''
* ''Ku Cheng-kang 谷正綱編，世盟重要文獻，台北市：世界反共聯盟中華民國分會，1967年''
* ''Ku Cheng-kang 谷正綱，發揚胞愛精神團結反共力量，台北市：中國大陸災胞救濟總會，1973年''
* ''Ku Cheng-kang "Expose and Destroy Peiping's "Peaceful Unification" Intrigue", World Anti-Communist League, China Chapter, 1979, Taipei.''
* ''Ku Cheng-kang "The 12th welfthC.C.P. Congress and the Future of Teng's Line", World Anti-Communist League, China Chapter, 1982, Taipei.''
* ''Ku Cheng-kang 谷正綱，為人類自由而奮鬥：世盟榮譽主席谷正綱博士言論選集，世盟榮譽主席谷正綱言論選集編委會，1985年''

References

{{Authority control

Kuomintang politicians in Taiwan
People from Anshun
People of the Chinese Civil War
Chinese anti-communists
Government ministers of China
1902 births
1993 deaths
Moscow Sun Yat-sen University alumni
Chinese Civil War refugees
Taiwanese people from Guizhou
Ministers of the interior of Taiwan
Senior advisors to President Chiang Kai-shek
Republic of China politicians from Guizhou
20th-century Taiwanese politicians